System for charging a power supply in a closure element of a household appliance

ABSTRACT

A dishwasher includes an open-face tub and a closure element selectively closing the open face of the tub and housing a user interface powered by a rechargeable power supply, such as a battery, operatively coupled to a power charger. In one embodiment, the user interface is not removable from the closure element, and the power charger may be remote from the closure element to selectively provide power to the rechargeable power supply. In another embodiment, the closure element may include a first door and a second door, with each door having an inductive part for formation of an inductive coupling to charge the rechargeable power supply when the doors are in juxtaposition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No.61/563,058, filed Nov. 23, 2011.

BACKGROUND

Contemporary automatic household dishwashers may have either a singlecompartment or multiple compartments for receiving soiled utensils to betreated. Typically, dishwashers with a single compartment have a singletub at least partially defining a treating chamber and a hinged doorthat provides access to the treating chamber. Multiple racks slidablymounted to the tub and movable relative to the treating chamber supportthe utensils. In multiple compartment dishwashers, the compartments areoften in the form of multiple, separate drawers or pull-outcompartments. Each compartment can include a slidable tub at leastpartially defining a treating chamber. One or more racks in the multiplecompartment dishwashers may be disposed inside and moveable with itsrespective treating chamber to support the utensils in the treatingchamber.

SUMMARY

A dishwasher according to one embodiment of the invention configured toexecute at least one automatic cycle of operation for treating utensilscomprises a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber with anopen face for receiving utensils for treatment, a closure elementmovable between opened and closed conditions to selectively close theopen face, a user interface non-removably mounted to the closureelement, a rechargeable power supply operably coupled to the userinterface, and a power charger remote from the closure elementselectively providing power to the rechargeable power supply.

A household appliance according to another embodiment of the inventioncomprises a cabinet having an open face, a first door movable relativeto the cabinet to provide selective access to at least a first portionof the open face, a second door movable relative to the cabinet toprovide selective access to at least a second portion of the open face,which is different than the first portion, and the second door having atleast one electrical component powered by a battery, and a power chargerhaving a first inductive part mounted to the first door and operativelycoupled to an external power source and a second inductive part mountedto the second door and operatively coupled to the battery such that whenthe first and second doors are in juxtaposition, the first and secondinductive parts form an inductive coupling to charge the battery withelectricity from the external power source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dishwasher according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the dishwasher of FIG. 1 with a door in anopen position showing an upper treatment chamber with a slidable drawercarrying a utensil rack and a lower treatment chamber with a slidableutensil rack.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dishwasher of FIG. 1 with the drawerin an extended position and the utensil rack in a retracted position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 with both the drawer andutensil rack in retracted positions.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 with the drawer in aretracted position and the utensil rack in an extended position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a portion of the dishwasher of FIG. 1illustrating a liquid circulation system, a liquid supply system, and anair supply system.

FIG. 7 is a schematic rear view of a portion of the dishwasher of FIG. 1illustrating components of the liquid circulation system, the liquidsupply system, and the air supply system.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are rear exploded views of an embodiment of an upperdoor of the dishwasher of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the upper door taken through line IX-IX ofFIG. 8A.

FIG. 10 is a rear exploded view of an embodiment of a lower door of thedishwasher of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the door of thedishwasher of FIG. 1 illustrating various electrical components carriedby the door, including a door alignment sensing assembly.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the region labeled XII in FIG. 1illustrating an embodiment of a user interface for the dishwasher.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a controller andcomponents operably coupled to the controller for the dishwasher of FIG.1.

FIG. 14A is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 also showing a portion ofthe lower door and the drawer of the dishwasher, wherein the door is ina door mode.

FIG. 14B is a rear view of a transformation assembly from FIG. 9 showingthe position of a mounting pin from the drawer when the door is in thedoor mode.

FIG. 15A is a sectional view similar to FIG. 14A, wherein the door is ina drawer mode.

FIG. 15B is a view similar to FIG. 14B showing the position of themounting pin when the door is in the drawer mode.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the dishwasher of FIG. 1 with the doorin the drawer mode and the upper door in an extended position.

FIG. 17A is a schematic view of an alternative door alignment sensingassembly for the dishwasher of FIG. 1.

FIG. 17B is a schematic view similar to FIG. 17A of another alternativedoor alignment sensing assembly for the dishwasher of FIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a schematic side view of a dishwasher according to anotherembodiment having a door with an upper door and a lower door in a closedposition.

FIG. 19 is a schematic side view of the dishwasher of FIG. 18 with theupper door pivoted open in a partial door mode.

FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of the dishwasher of FIG. 18 with theupper door pivoted partially open in the partial door mode.

FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of the dishwasher of FIG. 18 with theupper door and the lower door pivoted open together in a full door mode.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a dishwasher door according to anotherembodiment having an upper door and a lower door, with a portion of thedoor broken away to show a transformation assembly.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of a portion of the door of FIG. 22 with thetransformation assembly positioned to place the door in a drawer mode.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged view similar to FIG. 23 with the transformationassembly positioned to place the door in a door mode.

FIG. 25A is a front perspective view of a closure element from thetransformation assembly of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25B is a rear perspective view of the closure element from thetransformation assembly of FIG. 22.

FIG. 26 is a rear view of a portion of the door of FIG. 22.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating selected electrical componentshoused in the upper and lower doors of the door of FIG. 22.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a convertible multi-compartmentdishwasher 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. Although theactual dishwasher 10 into which the embodiments of the invention may beincorporated may vary, the invention is shown in connection with thedishwasher 10 for illustrative purposes. The dishwasher 10 includes achassis 12 and a closure element, illustrated in the form of a door 14mounted to the chassis 12. The chassis 12 may be a cabinet or a frame,with or without exterior panels. Built-in dishwashers typically haveonly a frame without panels, whereas stand-alone dishwashers have aframe with decorative panels covering the frame.

Referring now to FIG. 2, which is a front view of the dishwasher 10 withthe door 14 in an open position, the dishwasher 10 may comprise anopen-face tub 16 having opposing top and bottom walls 18, 20, opposingside walls 22, a rear wall 24, and a front wall 26 that collectivelydefine an interior. The tub front wall 26 may be a moveable elementprovided by the door 14, which may be moveably mounted to the chassis 12for selective access to the tub 16 through the open face for loading andunloading utensils or other washable items. In particular, the tub topand bottom walls 18, 20 and opposing side walls 22 define a frontopening that provides access to the interior of the tub 16, and the door14 may selectively close the opening for selective access to theinterior of the tub 16.

The interior of the tub 16 may include any number of multiplecompartments, and the illustrated embodiment features two compartments,an upper compartment 28 and a lower compartment 30. The upper and lowercompartments 28, 30 are illustrated as having differing size, with theupper compartment 28 being smaller than the lower compartment 30;however, the compartments 28, 30 may be of the same size.

As shown in the perspective view of the dishwasher in FIG. 3, the uppercompartment 28 may be at least partially formed by a drawer 40 slidablymounted to the side walls 22 by slide rails 42. The slide rails 42 maybe well-known, conventional drawer slides; alternatively, the drawer 40may be mounted to the side walls 22 by other suitable extendible supportguides or attachment devices. The drawer 40 includes opposing side walls44 joined by a rear wall 46, a bottom wall 48, and a front frame 50 thatsupports a drawer handle 52 spanning an upper portion of the frame 50and forwardly projecting mounting pins 54 having reduced diameternotches 55 and positioned, by way of example, in vertically alignedpairs on opposite sides of the frame 50. The drawer handle 52facilitates movement of the drawer 40 between an extended position, asshown in FIG. 3, and a retracted position, illustrated in FIG. 4.Collectively, the drawer 40 and the portion of the tub 16 in the uppercompartment 28 form an upper tub defining an upper treatment chamber 56.The drawer 40 may be provided with a utensil rack 58 for supportingvarious objects, such as utensils and the like, to be exposed to atreating operation in the upper treatment chamber 56.

Further, a spray system is provided for spraying liquid or a mixture ofgas and liquid, including foams, hereinafter collectively referred to asliquid, within the upper treatment chamber 56. The spray system mayinclude a sprayer of some type for spraying liquid in the treatmentchamber. As illustrated, the sprayer is a spray assembly 60 that may belocated in the upper treatment chamber 56 to function as a fluid inletfor the upper treatment chamber 56. The spray assembly 60 may comprise atraditional spray arm located below the rack 58, as shown forillustrative purposes in the figures. The spray assembly 60 isconfigured to rotate in the upper treatment chamber 56 and generate aspray of liquid in a generally upward direction, over at least a portionof the upper treatment chamber 56, typically directed to treat utensilslocated in the racks 58. Alternatively or additionally, the sprayassembly 60 may include other types of spray assemblies, includingstationary sprayers, zone sprayers, individual spray nozzles, and thelike, located at any suitable location, such as on the tub top wall 18,side walls 22, rear wall 24, and the utensil rack 58 to providetreatment fluid to the upper treatment chamber 56. The type, number, andlocation of the spray assembly 60 are not germane to the presentinvention. Optionally, the bottom wall 48 of the drawer 40 may be slopedto function as a sump or fluid outlet to drain treatment fluid from theupper treatment chamber 56.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the lower compartment 30 may includea lower tub collectively formed by the underside of the drawer 40 andthe portion of the tub 16 below the drawer 40 to define a lowertreatment chamber 70. Alternatively, the dishwasher 10 may include apartition, such as a wall, below the drawer 40 to physically separatethe tub 16 into the upper and lower compartments 28, 30 rather thanhaving the drawer 40 form the partition. A utensil rack 72 forsupporting various objects, such as utensils and the like, to be exposedto a treating operation in the lower treatment chamber 70, and the rack72 may have wheels 73 on its lower side such that the rack 72 may rollon the door 14 between the retracted and extended positions.Alternatively, the rack 72 may be slidably mounted to the side walls 22by slide rails. The slide rails may be well-known, conventional drawerslides or other suitable extendible support guides or attachmentdevices. The wheels 73 enable movement of the rack 72 between aretracted position, as shown in FIG. 4, and an extended position,illustrated in FIG. 5.

The spray system may also spray liquid within the lower treatmentchamber 70. As seen in FIG. 5, the spray system may include a sprayer inthe form of a spray assembly 74 located in the lower treatment chamber70 to function as a fluid inlet for the lower treatment chamber 70. Thespray assembly 74 may comprise a traditional spray arm located below therack 72, as shown for illustrative purposes in the figures. The sprayassembly 74 is configured to rotate in the lower treatment chamber 70and generate a spray of liquid in a generally upward direction, over atleast a portion of the lower treatment chamber 70, typically directed totreat utensils located in the rack 72. The spray assembly 74 may beoperated independently of the spray assembly 60 for the upper treatmentchamber 56. Alternatively or additionally, the spray assembly 74 mayinclude other types of spray assemblies, including stationary sprayers,zone sprayers, individual spray nozzles, and the like, located at anysuitable location, such as on the tub side walls 22 and rear wall 24 oron the utensil rack 72, to provide treatment fluid to the lowertreatment chamber 70. The type, number, and location of the sprayassembly 74 are not germane to the present invention. Optionally, thebottom wall 20 of the tub 16 may be sloped to function as a sump orfluid outlet to drain treatment fluid from the lower treatment chamber70.

A sealing system, which is illustrated in the form of one or more seals,may be located in the dishwasher 10 to prevent fluid leakage between theupper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70 and between the door 14 andthe tub 16 outside the dishwasher 10. For example, an upper seal 76 maybe present around the front perimeter of the tub 16 above the drawer 40and along the upper edge of the drawer side walls 44 and the drawer rearwall 46, and a drawer front seal 78 may be placed on the side edges andacross the lower edge of the drawer front frame 50. Further, a lowerseal 80 (FIG. 2) may be positioned around the front perimeter of the tub16 below the drawer 40. The portion of the upper seal 76 around thefront perimeter of the tub 16, the drawer front seal 78, and the lowerseal 80 abut and seal with the door 14 when the door 14 is closed toprevent fluid leakage outside the dishwasher 10. The remaining portionsof the upper seal 76 fluidly seal the upper treatment chamber 56 fromthe lower treatment chamber 70. While the sealing system of the presentembodiment is formed of multiple seals, it is to be understood that thesealing system may have any suitable number of seals, including a singleseal, or differing types of seals to accomplish the sealing function,depending on the structure of the dishwasher 10 into which the sealingsystem is incorporated. For example, the lower seal 80 may include aportion that extends horizontally across the opening of the tub 16 toform a seal for the upper limit of the lower compartment 30. In such anembodiment, the horizontal portion of the lower seal 80 could be locatedalong the aforementioned alternative partition separating the upper andlower compartments 28, 30.

Further, a closing system, which is illustrated as having one or moresensors and latches on the drawer 40 and the tub 16, may interact withcorresponding components on the door 14 to detect the position ofvarious portions of the door 14 and to secure the door 14 in a lockedcondition, respectively. A pair of lower door positional sensors 64 areshown as projecting downwardly from the top wall 18 of the tub 16,particularly near the front edge of the top wall 18. The lower doorpositional sensors 64 interact with the door 14 to detect the positionof a lower portion of the door 14 and may be any suitable type ofsensor, such as a limit switch, for example. Further, the tub 16 maycarry a locking device in the form of a pair of latches 66 on theperiphery of the tub 16 for securing the lower portion of the door 14 ina locked condition. The latches 66 may be any suitable type of latchesand are illustrated by example as electromagnets that, when activated,exert a magnetic force on a part of the door 14 made of a magneticmaterial, such as metal. Interaction between the upper and lowerportions of the door 14 and the various sensors 64 and the latches 66will be discussed in further detail below.

The dishwasher 10 may further include a liquid circulation system 82,which may include a pump and filter unit 84, as shown in the schematicview of the dishwasher 10 in FIG. 6, for selectively supplying,recirculating, and draining liquid from the upper and lower treatmentchambers 56, 70. The liquid circulation system 82 may be fluidly coupledto the spray system having the upper spray assembly 60 and the lowerspray assembly 74 described above. Further, the liquid circulationsystem 82 includes an upper spray conduit 86 provided in the drawer 40and coupled to the upper spray assembly 60 and to an upper supplyconduit 88 for supplying liquid to the spray assembly 60. To accommodatesliding movement of the drawer 40 and the upper spray assembly 60 thatmoves with the drawer 40, an extendable tube 90, such as a corrugatedtube, may be fluidly coupled between the upper spray conduit 86 and theupper supply conduit 88. Alternatively, other types of couplings may beemployed, such as a docking type connection, telescoping conduits, orother types of moveable conduits. For the lower treatment chamber 70, alower spray conduit 92 provided in the lower treatment chamber 70 andcoupled to the lower spray assembly 74 and to a lower supply conduit 94may supply liquid to the lower spray assembly 74.

Similar conduits may be present for fluidly coupling the upper and lowersumps to the pump and filter unit 84. An upper return conduit 100extending along the underside of the drawer 40 and an upper outletconduit 102 fluidly couple the upper sump formed by the drawer bottomwall 48 with the pump and filter unit 84. To accommodate slidingmovement of the drawer 40 and the upper sump that moves with the drawer40, the upper return conduit 100 may selectively uncouple and recouplewith the upper sump. Alternatively, the upper return conduit 100 may beconfigured such that the upper return conduit 100 remains coupled withthe upper sump during movement of the drawer 40. For the lower treatmentchamber 70, a lower return conduit 104 extending below the tub 16 and alower outlet conduit 106 fluidly couple the lower sump formed by the tubbottom wall 20 with the pump and filter unit 84.

The liquid circulation system 82 may further comprise a liquid divertersystem 110 having tub inlet and outlet diverters 112, 114 to selectivelycontrol the liquid movement within and between the lower and uppertreatment chambers 56, 70. The tub inlet diverter 112 has an inletfluidly coupled to a pump outlet conduit 116 of the pump and filter unit84 and a pair of outlets fluidly coupled to the upper and lower supplyconduits 88, 94. Correspondingly, the pump and filter unit 84 may supplyliquid to the upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70 through the pumpoutlet conduit 116, the tub inlet diverter 112, and the respective upperand lower supply conduits 88, 94, upper and lower spray conduits 86, 92,and upper and lower spray assemblies 60, 74. The tub outlet diverter 114has a pair of inlets fluidly coupled to the upper and lower outletconduits 102, 106 and an outlet fluidly coupled to a pump inlet conduit118 of the pump and filter unit 84. Correspondingly, the pump and filterunit 84 may receive liquid drained from the upper and lower treatmentchambers 56, 70 through the respective upper and lower sumps, upper andlower sump conduits 100, 104, upper and lower outlet conduits 102, 106,the tub outlet diverter 114, and the pump inlet conduit 118. The tubinlet and outlet diverters 112, 114 may be valve type diverters or othertypes of diverters capable of diverting all or some of the liquidpassing therethrough.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, the dishwasher 10 may also include aliquid supply system 120 for providing liquid to the pump and filterunit 84, which selectively supplies the liquid to either or both of theupper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70 through the liquid circulationsystem 82. The liquid supply system 120 may include a liquid supplyconduit 122 extending from a liquid source 124, such as a householdwater supply, to the pump and filter unit 84, and a supply valve 126 maycontrol flow of the liquid from the liquid source 124 to the liquidsupply conduit 122 and the pump and filter unit 84. A siphon break orreservoir 128 with an overflow conduit 130 may be located along theliquid supply conduit 122 to aid in supplying the liquid from the liquidsource 124 to the pump and filter unit 84. Alternatively, the liquidsupply system 120 may employ separate liquid supplies for the upper andlower treatment chambers 56, 70.

Referring now to the schematic view of the dishwasher 10 in FIG. 7, thepump and filter unit 84 may be a single assembly incorporating severaldevices, such as a supply and recirculation pump 140 for pumping liquidfrom the liquid supply conduit 122 and/or the pump inlet conduit 118 tothe pump outlet conduit 116, a drain pump 142 for pumping liquid fromthe pump inlet conduit 118 to a household drain conduit 144, a liquidfilter (not shown) to filter the liquid prior to being supplied to thepump outlet conduit 116, a heater (not shown) for heating the liquidprior to being supplied to the pump outlet conduit 116, and a fan orblower 146. Further details of exemplary pump and filter units may befound in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/643,394, filed Dec. 21,2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/910,203, filed Oct. 22, 2010,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/947,317, filed Nov. 16, 2010, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/959,483, filed Dec. 3, 2010, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/949,687, filed Dec. 3, 2010, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/959,507, filed Dec. 3, 2010, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/959,673, filed Dec. 3, 2010, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/966,420, filed Dec. 13, 2010, and relatedapplications, which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety. The '673 application further includes additional details of anexemplary liquid circulation system, including an exemplary liquiddiverter system, and an exemplary liquid supply system.

The dishwasher 10 may further include an air supply system 150 thatcomprises the blower 146 of the pump and filter unit 84, along with ablower outlet conduit 152 in fluid communication with an upper inletvent 154 in the upper treatment chamber 56 through an upper air conduit156 and a lower inlet vent 158 in the lower treatment chamber 70 througha lower air conduit 160. An air diverter 162 may selectively direct airfrom the blower outlet conduit 152 to one of the upper and lower airconduits 156, 160 to thereby selectively deliver air to the upper andlower treatment chambers 56, 70, respectively. Optionally, the heater ofthe pump and filter unit 84 may heat the air prior to delivery to theupper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70. Further details of anexemplary air supply system may be found in the aforementioned andincorporated '673 application.

The described and illustrated liquid circulation system 82, liquidsupply system 120, and air supply system 150, along with the pump andfilter unit 84 are provided for exemplary purposes. Any suitable systemscapable of supplying, delivering, recirculating, and draining liquid andany suitable system for supplying and delivering air may be employedwith the dishwasher 10.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the door 14 of the dishwasher 10 may becapable of transforming between a drawer mode (i.e., partial door mode)and a door mode (i.e., full door mode) for accessing selective treatmentchambers inside the dishwasher 10. The door 14 may have a first part,illustrated as an upper door 170, and a second part, illustrated aslower door 172, to facilitate transformation between these modes. Whenthe dishwasher 10 is in drawer mode, the user may move or open only theupper door 170 with a sliding movement for access only to the uppertreatment chamber 56. Conversely, in the door mode, the user may move oropen both the upper and lower doors 170, 172 as a single, full door witha pivoting movement to access both the upper and lower treatmentchambers 56, 70. The upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70 are shownschematically in phantom in FIG. 1, the boundaries of which are notintended to limit the invention.

The upper door 170 may include a handle 174 graspable by a user formoving the door 14 relative to the chassis 12. The handle 174 may bemounted to a front window 176 through which the user may view at least aportion of the interior of the dishwasher 10. The handle 174 and thefront window 176 shown in the figures are for illustrative purposesonly; the dishwasher 10 may include any type of handle or other devicefor moving the door 14 relative to the chassis 12 and may be mounted toany suitable part of the dishwasher 10, and the front window 176 can beany size or type of window or may be omitted if desired. The upper door170 may further include a front panel 178 that surrounds and supportsthe front window 176 and carries a user interface 180. The front panel178 may be generally rectangular with a top wall 182 and may wrap arounda portion of the sides of the upper door 170 to form a bezel 186. Acharging port 188 may be located on the upper door 170, such as on thefront panel 178. The charging port 188 may be adapted for receiving aplug of a power cord (not shown) that may electrically couple with anexternal source of power, such as a conventional household electricalsocket.

The description of the upper door 170 continues with reference to FIGS.8A and 8B, which are exploded rear views of the upper door 170. A rearpanel 220 surrounding and supporting a rear window 221 encloses the rearside of the upper door 170. The rear panel 220 may be generallyrectangular with opposing top and bottom walls 222, 224 and opposingside walls 226. An upwardly extending lip 228 oriented generallyperpendicular to the top wall 222 may carry a pair of pins 230 locatedat opposite ends of the lip 228 and projecting rearward, that is,towards the interior of the dishwasher 10 when the door 14 is closed.The rear panel 220 may be sized for receipt by the front panel 178 withspace between the respective top walls 182, 222 and between the sidewalls 226 and the bezel 186. The rear portion of the upper door 170 mayinclude several apertures. For example, two pair of generally circularapertures 232, 234 may be positioned with one pair on each side of therear window 221, each pair having two vertically aligned apertures.Further, a pair of apertures 236 may be positioned at opposite ends ofthe top wall 222, and another pair of apertures 238 may be located atopposite ends of the bottom wall 224. The upper door 170 may also housea power source or assembly, which is shown in the illustrated embodimentas a plurality of batteries 240 mounted along the bottom wall 224,electrically coupled to the user interface 180 and to the charging port188 on the front panel 178 (FIG. 1).

To facilitate transformation between the drawer mode and the door modefor the door 14, a transformation assembly 250 may be positioned withinthe upper door 170. The transformation assembly 250 of the presentembodiment includes two sets of transformation mechanisms 252, onelocated on each side of the upper door 170 and slidably mounted withinthe upper door 170 by a bracket 254. As best seen in FIG. 9, which is asectional view of the upper door taken through the line IX-IX in FIG.8A, each transformation mechanism 252 may include a locking member inthe form of a lock block 256 having generally elongated, verticallyoriented front and rear parts 258, 260 coupled for cooperative movement.The front part 258 terminates at its upper end at an upwardly extendinglocking finger 262 aligned vertically with the corresponding aperture236 of the rear panel top wall 222 and at its lower end at a forwardlyprojecting foot 264 that covers the corresponding aperture 238 in therear panel bottom wall 224. The rear part 260 terminates at its upperend at an upwardly extending post 266 that receives one end of acompression spring 268. The compression spring 268 in its rest statepushes the lock block 256 downward, away from the rear panel top wall222, which includes a downwardly extending post 270 that receives theopposite end of the spring 268. Referring back to FIGS. 8A and 8B, therear part 260 of the lock block 256 further includes a pair ofvertically aligned key slots 272 having a circular portion 274 and anupwardly extending linear portion 276 with a width smaller than thediameter of the circular portion 274. The key slots 272 align with thecorresponding apertures 232, 234 in the rear panel 220 such that eitherthe circular portion 274 or the linear portion 276 aligns with thecorresponding apertures 232, 234 when the lock block 256 slides withinthe bracket 254, as will be described in further detail below.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the lower door 172 may include a generallyrectangular front panel 290 with a bottom wall 294 and may wrap around aportion of the sides of the lower door 172 to form a bezel 296. As shownin FIG. 10, which is an exploded view of the lower door 172 showing arear side of the lower door 172, an upper lip 292 of the front panel 290may extend rearward and generally perpendicular to the upper edge of thefront panel 290. The front panel 290 may be mounted to a generallyU-shaped door frame 300 having side arms 302 that extend within andalong the bezel 296 and above the front panel 290 and a top arm 304 thatjoins the upper ends of the side arms 302. The portion of the side arms302 above the lower door front panel 290 and the top arm 304 are sizedfor receipt by the upper door 170, as will be described in furtherdetail below, and define an opening through which the drawer 40 may besized for slidable movement. The top arm 304 includes a pair ofapertures 308, with the apertures 308 located at opposite ends of thetop arm 304.

A horizontal bracket 310 with a pair of spaced apertures 311 spans theframe 300 below the front panel upper lip 292, and hinges 312 may bemounted to the lower ends of the frame 300 to pivotally mount the lowerdoor 172 to the chassis 12. The bracket 310 supports a pair of upperdoor positional sensors 62. The upper door positional sensors 62interact with the upper door 170 to detect the position of the upperdoor 170 relative to the lower door 172 (i.e., the alignment of theupper and lower doors 170, 172) and may be any suitable type of sensors,such as reed switches, for example. A rear panel 314 sized similarly tothe front panel 290 and having a generally U-shaped peripheral frame 316that mates with the door frame 300 encloses the lower door 172 on itsrear side. At least a portion of the rear panel 314 and/or the frame 316may be constructed of a magnetic material, such as metal, for magneticcommunication with the electromagnetic latches 66 on the tub 16 (FIG.5).

Between the front and rear panels 290, 314, the lower door 172 houses apair of horizontally spaced actuator assemblies 320, each one mounted tothe lower door 172 by a mounting bracket 322. The actuator assembly 320may be an electrical actuator but could be any type of suitableactuator, including a mechanical actuator, such as a mechanical linkageassembly with a lead screw and motor, a pneumatic actuator, or ahydraulic actuator. Further, the actuator assembly 320 may be configuredsuch that it may be located within the upper door 170 rather than thelower door 172. For example, a mechanically actuated actuator assemblymay be adapted to fit within the upper door 170 to selectively couplethe upper door 170 with the lower door 172. The illustrated actuatorassembly 320 includes a housing 324 coupled to a cylinder 326 withinwhich an upwardly extending actuating rod 328 sized and positioned forreceipt through the corresponding aperture 311 on the rear panel bracket310 may be slidably mounted.

The door 14 houses several electrical components, such as sensors,switches, and devices, for the dishwasher 10. FIG. 11 provides aschematic view of the door 14 and its corresponding electricalcomponents. The lower door 172 carries the actuating assemblies 320,which may require electricity depending on the type of actuator employedfor moving the actuating rod 328, and the upper door proximity sensors62.

As discussed above, the upper door 170 carries the user interface 180,the power assembly in the form of the batteries 240, and the chargingport 188, which are all electrically coupled such that the batteries 240provide power to the user interface 180. The electrical system may beconfigured to have the batteries 240 provide power to the user interface180 at all times, or the batteries may be a supplemental power source,such that the batteries 240 provide power to the user interface 180 onlywhen the door 14 is in the drawer mode, while another electrical systemprovides power to the user interface 180 when the door 14 is in the doormode. The charging port 188 may be selectively electrically orelectromagnetically and wired or wirelessly coupled to an external powercharger or source 189, such as a conventional household electricalsocket or a direct current (DC) power source, for charging the batteries240 with low voltage DC power. Optionally, the user interface 180 mayinclude an indicator to communicate to the user a power status of thebatteries 240, such as a percentage of power remaining, approximateduration of battery life remaining (e.g., time left in days, minutes,hours, etc.), or a simple alert notifying the user when the batteries240 need to be or are approaching a condition (e.g., nearing batterychemistry critical thresholds) where they need to be recharged orreplaced.

The batteries 240 may be any type of rechargeable or replaceablebatteries, including customized or conventional batteries, such as AA,AAA, or other standard batteries, and may be portable power storagedevices other than batteries. Further, the power assembly may includeany number of portable power storage devices or batteries, including oneor multiple batteries, depending on the power demands of the userinterface 180 and the type of power storage devices or batteriesemployed to provide power to the user interface 180. Other alternativemethods for charging the batteries 240 include, but are not limited to,transferring power from the lower door 172 to the upper door 170 throughthe air gap therebetween over an electromagnetic link, whereby theelectrical energy may be converted to DC power for battery charging. Inanother embodiment, the batteries 240 may be removable for rechargingusing a standard or customized charger, such as a remote inductivecharging pad or charger that plugs into a household wall socket, thatcouples to an external power source rather than coupling the dishwasher10 to the external power source. In yet another embodiment, the chargingport 188 may be internal such that the charging port 188 is not visibleto the user when the door 14 is closed. For example, the charging port188 may be located on an inside surface of the door 14 and may mate witha corresponding dock on the chassis 12 when the door 14 closed. Thecharging port 188 and the dock may be coupled in any suitable manner orwith any suitable type of connection, such as a pin and socketconnection, an inductive coupling, or conductive contacts, as withcordless phone chargers.

When the connection between the power supply and the power source forrecharging the power supply is a non-wired electromagnetic radiationconnection, the power may be transmitted between an electromagneticradiation transmitter coupled to the power source and an electromagneticradiation receiver coupled to the rechargeable power supply such thatpower from the power source may be transmitted to the rechargeable powersupply by electromagnetic radiation. Examples of the electromagneticradiation transmitter include an electromagnetic short, medium, ormicrowave generator. As another example, a magnetic field generator maybe coupled to the power source, and a magnetic field receiver may becoupled to the rechargeable power supply.

In addition to the above electrical components, the door 14 may include,as part of the aforementioned closing system, a door alignment sensingassembly or device 330 to ensure that the upper and lower doors 170, 172are properly aligned prior to transforming the door from the drawer modeto the door mode when the door 14 is closed. In the illustratedschematic embodiment, the door alignment sensing assembly 330 may employone or more infrared (IR) beams or other type of communication, such asa visible light optoelectronics link, transmitted between the upper andlower doors 170, 172 to establish a data communication link. A firstdata connector in the form of, for example, a transmitter 332 may belocated in one of the upper and lower doors 170, 172 with acorresponding second data connector in the form of, for example, areceiver 334 in the other of the upper and lower doors 170, 172.Optionally, the data connectors 332, 334 may be transceivers having theability to both transmit and receive data. At least one partition, suchas the walls of the upper and lower doors 170, 172, between thetransmitter 332 and the receiver 334 may include an aperture 336 sizedand positioned for transmission of the IR beam, or other visible lightoptoelectronic beam, from the transmitter 332 to the receiver 334 onlywhen the upper and lower doors 170, 172 are properly aligned fortransformation.

The electrical components carried by the door 14 and other components ofthe dishwasher 10 communicate with an electronic control, shown in theillustrated embodiment as a controller 340, that may be located in thechassis 12 below the tub 16 as part of the pump and filter unit 84 (FIG.6). The controller 340 may be a single controller for both the upper andlower treatment chambers 56, 70 and may be operably coupled to variouscomponents of the dishwasher 10 to implement a treating cycle ofoperation in one or both of the upper and lower treatment chambers 56,70 and to transform the door 14 between the drawer and door modes. Asillustrated herein, the controller 340 may be part of the pump andfilter unit 84 to provide a compact and modular assembly forinstallation within the dishwasher 10; however, one or more componentsshown as integrated with each other in the pump and filter unit 84 mayalso be provided separately.

The controller 340 may communicate with the components of the dishwasher10 located in the door 14 over a wireless communication link using awireless communication protocol. The wireless communication link andprotocol may be any type of wireless communication, including radiofrequency, microwave, and infrared (IR) communications, andcommunications involving bit by bit, RS232, WIDE, I2C, etc. Thecontroller 340 may also communicate with the user over Wi-Fi or wirelesstelecommunications to a portable computing device, such as a tabletcomputer or phone, for controlling the dishwasher 10 remotely.Alternatively, the controller 340 may communicate with the components ofthe dishwasher 10 over wired connections, if desired. The controller 340may be positioned in locations of the dishwasher 10 other than below thetub 16, such as in other locations on the chassis 12 or on the door 14.

As mentioned above, the controller 340 may be operably coupled with theuser interface 180, shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 12, which mayinclude various indicators and/or selectors for communicating with theuser of the dishwasher 10. For example, the user interface 180 mayprovide operation cycle indicators 190 that communicate to the user astate of operation of the dishwasher 10, such as washing, rinsing,drying, clean, and sanitized. The operation cycle indicators 190 mayinclude multiple sets of indicators to communicate the state ofoperation for the individual treatment chambers 56, 70, and in theillustrated embodiment, an upper set of indicators 192 corresponding tothe upper treatment chamber 56 and a lower set of indicators 194corresponding to the lower treatment chamber 70 arranged by example inupper and lower rows of lights may be positioned adjacent status labels196 communicating various states of operation. For exemplary purposes,the status labels 196 shown on the user interface 180 are washing,rinsing, drying, clean, and sanitized, although any suitable statuslabels 196 may be employed.

The user interface 180 may further include a mode selector 198, such asa button, to enable the user to select the drawer mode or the door modefor the door 14 of the dishwasher 10 and thereby effect transformationof the door 14 to the door mode or the drawer mode. Mode indicators 200may be provided near the mode selector 198 to communicate to the userthe current mode for the door 14 and the mode enabled by actuation ofthe mode selector 198. As an example, the illustrated embodiment of themode indicator 200 includes a drawer mode indicium 202 with a lightcorresponding to the upper door 170 and a door mode indicium 204 with alight corresponding to the upper and lower doors 170, 172. Actuation ofthe mode selector 198, such as by pressing the button one or more times,may cause cycling through the lights of the mode indicator 200 tocommunicate to the user selection of the drawer mode or the door mode.In the illustrated embodiment, the mode selector 198 and the modeindicator 200 are shown, respectively, as a button and as indicium withlights but may have any suitable form and, further, may be provided inany suitable location on the dishwasher 10. Alternative forms for themode selector 198 may include, for example, a button or other actuatorlocated on the handle 174, a switch operated by the foot of the usernear the bottom of the door 14, selectors on a display, such as an LCDpanel, and the handle 174 itself, whereby actuation of the mode selectormay be achieved by twisting or otherwise moving or manipulating all or aportion of the handle 174.

The user interface 180 may further provide other selectors, such as anillumination selector 206 to control actuation of an illumination source(not shown) inside the dishwasher 10 and other commonly used selectors208, such as dishwasher operation cycle selectors and operation optionsselectors. Further, because the user may select operation of aparticular treatment chamber 56, 70, the user interface 180 may providean upper treatment chamber selector 210 and a lower treatment chamberselector 212. The user may choose operation of the upper or lowertreatment chamber 56, 70 via the upper and lower treatment chamberselectors 210, 212 prior to selection of an operation cycle and,possibly, options for the selected operation cycle via the commonly usedselectors 208. The various selectors 206, 208, 210, 212 may have anysuitable form, number, and location, and the selectors 206, 208, 210,212 are shown in the illustrated embodiment for exemplary purposes.

Further, the user interface 180 is non-removably mounted to the upperdoor 170 in the present embodiment. In other words, the user interface180 may not be removed during its use, and disassembly of at least partof the upper door 170 would be required to remove the user interface 180from the door 14. Other alternative embodiments may include a removableuser interface, if desired, such that the user interface would be easilyremoved from the door 14 without any exterior tools or disassembly ofthe dishwasher 10.

Referring now to FIG. 13, which is a schematic view of the controller340 for the dishwasher 10, the controller 340 may be operably coupled tothe user interface 180 to communicate with the user regarding theselection of treatment cycles and options, operation status, and theselection and status of the mode of the door 14 through the modeselector 198 and mode indicators 200. The controller 340 may be also becoupled with the actuator assemblies 320 to execute transformation ofthe door 14 between the drawer and door modes according to the modeselected by the user via the mode selector 198. Further, the controller340 may be coupled to the door alignment sensing assembly 330 to detectalignment of the upper and lower doors 170, 172 prior to conversion fromthe drawer mode to the door mode, the upper door positional sensors 62and the lower door positional sensors 64 to sense the open or closedpositions and the relative positions of the upper and lower doors 170,172, and the electromagnetic latches 66, which may be activated duringconversion between the drawer and door modes and remain activated tolock the lower door 172 to the tub 16 when in the drawer mode.

In addition to being operably coupled with the above electricalcomponents, the controller 340 may be coupled with the supply andrecirculation pump 140, the tub inlet diverter 112, and the tub outletdiverter 114 for supply and circulation of fluid in the upper and lowertreatment chambers 56, 70 and with the drain pump 142 for drainage offluid from the dishwasher 10. The controller 340 may be coupled with thesupply valve 126 for supplying liquid to the pump and filter unit 84.The controller 340 may also be operably coupled with the blower 146 andthe air diverter 162 to provide air into the upper and lower treatmentchambers 56, 70. The controller 340 may also be coupled with the heater350 to heat the fluid and/or air depending on the step being performedin the cycle of operation. The controller 340 may also be coupled todispensers 352 provided in each of the upper and lower treatmentchambers 56, 70 for dispensing a detergent during a wash step of a cycleof operation or a rinse aid during a rinse step of a cycle of operation,for example. Alternatively, a single dispenser may be shared by both ofthe upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70.

The controller 340 may also be coupled with one or more temperaturesensors 354, which are known in the art, such that the controller 340may control the duration of the steps of the cycle of operation basedupon the temperature detected in the upper and lower treatment chambers56, 70 or in one of the various conduits of the dishwasher 10. Thecontroller 340 may also receive inputs from one or more other additionalsensors 356, examples of which are known in the art. Non-limitingexamples of the additional sensors 356 that may be communicably coupledwith the controller 340 include a moisture sensor, a turbidity sensor, adetergent and rinse aid presence/type sensor(s), and sensors fordetection of overload and overfill states.

The controller 340 may also be provided with a memory 360 and a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 362. The memory 360 may be used for storingcontrol software that may be executed by the CPU 362 in completing acycle of operation using one or both of the upper and lower treatmentchambers 56, 70 of the dishwasher 10 and any additional software. Forexample, the memory 360 may store one or more pre-programmed cycles ofoperation that may be selected by a user and completed by one or more ofthe upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70. A cycle of operation forthe upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70 may include one or more ofthe following steps: a wash step, a rinse step, and a drying step. Thewash step may further include a pre-wash step and a main wash step. Therinse step may also include multiple steps such as one or moreadditional rinsing steps performed in addition to a first rinsing. Theamounts of fluid and/or rinse aid used during each of the multiple rinsesteps may be varied. The drying step may have a non-heated drying step(so called “air only”), a heated drying step, or a combination thereof.These multiple steps may also be performed by the upper and lowertreatment chambers 56, 70 in any desired combination.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 13, the operation of the dishwasher 10 willnow be described with a focus on the operation of the door 14 and theconversion thereof between the drawer and door modes. Details regardingthe supply, circulation, and draining of fluid and the delivery ofheated and non-heated air to the upper and lower treatment chambers 56,70 may be found in the aforementioned and incorporated '673 application.The following description is provided for illustrative purposes onlywith the understanding that the operation may proceed in any suitableorder and may be adapted according to variations of embodiments of thedishwasher 10. While the operation description will include reference todifferent figures, inherent reference to FIG. 13 may continually be madewhen discussing communication between the controller 340 and variouscomponents of the dishwasher 10.

As described above, the user of the dishwasher 10 may access only theupper treatment chamber 56 when the door 14 is in the drawer mode orboth the upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70 when the door 14 isin the door mode. For descriptive purpose only, it will be assumed thatthe door 14 is initially in the door mode, as indicated to the user bythe mode indicator 200 on the user interface 180, such as byilluminating the door mode indicium 204.

Referring now to FIG. 14A, which is a sectional view taken through oneof the actuator assemblies 320 with the door 14 closed and in the doormode, the actuator assembly 320 is in an engaged position whereby theactuating rod 328 extends through the corresponding aperture 311 in thebracket 310 of the lower door 172 and the corresponding aperture 238 inthe bottom wall 224 of the upper door rear panel 220 to abut the foot264 of the lock block 256 and apply an upward force to push the lockblock 256 upward. Application of the upward force to the lock block 256compresses the spring 268 and forces the locking finger 262 upwardthrough the corresponding aperture 236 on the top wall 222 of the upperdoor rear panel 220 and through the corresponding aperture 308 on thetop arm 304 of the lower door frame 300. The extension of the actuatingrods 328 between the upper and lower doors 170, 172 at the lower end ofthe upper door 170 and of the projection of the locking fingers 262 fromthe upper door 170 through the lower door frame 300 at the upper end ofthe upper door 172 effectively locks the upper and lower doors 170, 172together for the door mode.

Further, in the door mode, the lock blocks 256 decouple the drawer 40from the upper door 170 so that the door 14 can be opened with apivoting motion to the position illustrated in FIG. 4. In particular,when the lock block 256 is in the upward position shown in FIG. 14A, themounting pins 54 on the front frame 50 of the drawer 40 extend throughthe corresponding apertures 232, 234 on the upper door rear panel 220and horizontally align with the circular portions 274 of thecorresponding key slots 272, as shown in FIG. 14B, thereby allowingmovement of the door 14 relative to the chassis 12 without concurrentmovement of the drawer 40. In other words, the drawer 40 remainsstationary during pivoting movement of the door 14 because the apertures232, 234 and the circular portions 274 of the key slots 272 on the lockblocks 256 easily slide onto and off of the mounting pins 54.

To convert the door 14 from the door mode to the drawer mode, the useractuates the mode selector 198 on the user interface 180, such as bydepressing the button. The user interface 180 communicates the modeselection to the controller 340, which, in turn, communicates with thedoor alignment sensing assembly 330 to ensure proper alignment betweenthe upper and lower doors 170, 172 and with the upper door and lowerdoor positional sensors 62, 64 to confirm that the upper and lower doors170, 172 are both closed and aligned. Further, the upper door positionalsensors 62 detect alignment of the upper door 170 with the lower door172 when the rear panel 220 is in close proximity to the positionalsensors 62. As mentioned above, the lower door positional sensors 64detect closure of the lower door 172 when the top arm 304 of the frame300 of the lower door 172 are near the lower door positional sensors 64on the tub 16. It follows that the controller 340 can confirm closure ofboth the upper and lower doors 170, 172 by detecting closure of thelower door through the lower door positional sensors 64 and inferclosure of the upper door 170 by detecting alignment of the upper door170 with the closed lower door 172.

Once the alignment and the closed position of the upper and lower doors170, 172 are confirmed, the controller 340 activates the latches 66 tolock the lower door 172 to the tub 16. Activating the latches 66 mayentail providing power to the electromagnets to activate the magneticforce and, thereby, magnetically couple the latches 66 to the metallicframe 316 on the rear panel 314. The latches 66 may remain active duringthe transformation process and will remain so thereafter when the drawermode has been selected to keep the lower door 172 locked to the tub 16.

With the latches 66 activated, the controller 340 instructs the actuatorassemblies 320 to transform the door 14 from the door mode to the drawermode. Referring now to FIG. 15A, which is a sectional view similar toFIG. 14A with the door 14 in the drawer mode, the actuator assembly 320retracts the actuating rod 328 through the corresponding aperture 238 inthe bottom wall 224 of the upper door rear panel 220 and thecorresponding aperture 311 in the bracket 310 of the lower door 172 to aresting position within the lower door 172. The retraction of theactuating rod 328 and, thereby, removal of the upward force on the lockblock 256 allows the spring 268 to expand to its natural state and pushthe lock block 256 downward against the bottom wall 224 of the upperdoor rear panel 220. Further, the downward movement of the lock block256 disengages the locking finger 262 from the lower door frame 300 asthe locking finger 262 moves downward through the corresponding aperture308 on the top arm 304 of the lower door frame 300 and through thecorresponding aperture 236 on the top wall 222 of the upper door rearpanel 220 into the upper door 170. With the actuating rod 328 positionedentirely within the lower door 172 and the locking finger 262 residingcompletely within the upper door 170, the upper and lower doors 170, 172are unlocked for the drawer mode. While the travel distance of theactuating rods 328 may depend on the configuration of the door 14, anexemplary travel distance may be about 1-1.25 inches (25.4-31.8 mm).

Further, in the drawer mode, the lock blocks 256 couple the drawer 40 tothe upper door 170 so that the drawer 40 moves with the upper door 170when the upper door 170 slides between opened and closed positions. Inparticular, when the lock block 256 moves to the downward position shownin FIG. 15A, the linear portion 276 of the key slot 272 slidinglyreceives the notch 55 of the corresponding mounting pin 54 on the frontframe 50 of the drawer 40. Because the linear portion 276 of the keyslot 272 and the notch 55 of the mounting pin 54 have a respective widthand diameter less than the diameters of the adjacent portions of themounting pin 54, relative horizontal movement between the lock block 256and the mounting pin 54 is not feasible, and the drawer 40 locks to theupper door 170, thereby enabling sliding movement of the upper door 170relative to the chassis 12 with concurrent movement of the drawer 40, asshown in FIG. 16, which is a perspective view of the dishwasher 10 withthe door 14 in the drawer mode and the upper door 170 slid open to anextended position.

Upon completion of the transformation to the drawer mode, the modeindicator 200 may communicate to the user that the door 14 is now indrawer mode, such as by illuminating the drawer mode indicium 202. Asstated above, when the door 14 is in the drawer mode, the latches 66remain active such that the lower door 172 is locked to the tub 16, andthe user cannot access the lower treatment chamber 70. The user mayslide the upper door 170 relative to the chassis 12 to selectivelyaccess the upper treatment chamber 56.

To convert the door 14 from the drawer mode to the door mode, the useractuates the mode selector 198 on the user interface 180, such as bydepressing the button. The user interface 180 communicates the modeselection to the controller 340, which, in turn, communicates with thedoor alignment sensing assembly 330 to ensure proper alignment betweenthe upper and lower doors 170, 172 and with the upper and lower doorpositional sensors 62, 64 to confirm that the upper and lower doors 170,172 are both closed. Once the alignment and the closed position of theupper and lower doors 170, 172 are confirmed, the controller 340activates the latches 66, if not already activated, to lock the lowerdoor 172 to the tub 16. The latches 66 may remain active during thetransformation process until being deactivated by the controller 340upon completion of the transformation process so that the lower door 172can move relative to the tub 16.

With the latches 66 activated, the controller 340 instructs the actuatorassemblies 320 to transform the door 14 from the drawer mode to the doormode by extending the actuating rods 328 to the engaged positiondescribed above. The extension of the actuating rods 328 locks the upperand lower doors 170, 172 together and decouples the drawer 40 from theupper door 172 such that the door 14 may freely pivot relative to thechassis 12. Upon completion of the transformation to door mode, the modeindicator 200 may communicate to the user that the door 14 is now indoor mode, such as by illuminating the door mode indicium 204. As statedabove, when the door 14 is in the door mode, the latches 66 deactivatesuch that the lower door 172 can pivot with the upper door 170 as a fulldoor relative to the tub 16, and the user can selectively access boththe upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70.

After transformation of the door 14 from one mode to another selectedmode, the door 14 may remain in the selected mode until the user onceagain transforms the door 14. The door 14 may alternatively have adefault mode whereby the door 14 automatically converts to the defaultmode, either the door mode or the drawer mode, a predetermined durationafter transformation of the door 14 if the selected mode is differentthan the default mode. As another option, the mode of the door 14 maydepend on the operation status of the upper and lower treatment chambers56, 70. For example, the door 14 may default to the drawer mode if atreatment cycle is running or has just been completed in only the uppertreatment chamber 56, and the door 14 may default to the door mode if atreatment cycle is running or has just been completed in the lowertreatment chamber 70, regardless of whether a treatment cycle is runningor has been run in the upper treatment chamber 56.

When the user is ready to run a treatment operation in the upper and/orlower treatment chambers 56, 70, the user may select the desired cycleof operation and possible options for the cycle of operation through theuser interface 180 on the dishwasher 10 or through a remote userinterface, such as the aforementioned remote tablet computer or phone.The selected cycle of operation may be executed by the controller 340,which communicates the appropriate commands to and receives necessaryinformation from the components of the dishwasher 10. When a treatmentcycle is running in only the upper treatment chamber 56, the door 14 maybe opened in either the door mode or the drawer mode, both of which willinterrupt the cycle in the upper treatment chamber 56. When a treatmentcycle is running in only the lower treatment chamber 70, the door 14 maybe opened in the door mode, which will interrupt the cycle in the lowertreatment chamber 70, or in the drawer mode to access only the uppertreatment chamber 56 without interrupting the cycle in the lowertreatment chamber 70. When treatment cycles are running in both of theupper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70, which can be running the sameor different treatment cycles started at the same or different times,the door 14 may be opened in the door mode to interrupt both of thetreatment cycles or in the drawer mode to interrupt only the treatmentcycle in the upper treatment chamber 56.

The structure of the door 14 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-16not only enables transformation of the door 14 so that the door 14 mayfunction as drawer but also provides sufficient strength for the door 14to function as a full door. In particular, the door 14 includes on thelower door 172 the frame 300 that surrounds the upper door 170 so thatwhen the upper and lower doors 170, 172 are coupled, the full door hassufficient strength to withstand the stress induced by the pivotingmotion of the full door. Further, the frame 300 may be hidden from theuser by the bezel 186 and the top wall 182 of the upper door front panel178, as evidenced by the inability to view the frame 300 in FIG. 1.Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, a channel formed between the rear panelside walls 226 and the bezel 186 and between the rear panel top wall 222and the front panel top wall 182 may be sized for receipt of the frame300. The channel without the presence of the frame 300 may be seen inthe sectional view of FIG. 9 and with the presence of the frame 300 inthe sectional views of FIGS. 14A and 15A.

It is within the scope of the invention to make various modifications tothe dishwasher 10. For example, the window formed by the front and rearwindows 176, 221 on the upper door 170 may be omitted. Omission of thewindow would provide additional space in the upper door 170 to employadditional transformation assemblies 250 and corresponding actuatorassemblies 320 across the width of the door 14, which may lendadditional strength to the door 14 when in the door mode. In anothermodification, latches, such as electromagnetic latches, may beincorporated between the upper and lower doors 170, 172 to maintainalignment therebetween during the transformation process.

In another embodiment, the door alignment sensing assembly 330 may bemodified to incorporate transmission of the IR beam to the controller340 in the chassis 12 such that misalignment of the upper and lowerdoors 170, 172 would result in interruption of the IR beam transmission,thereby, preventing communication between the sensing assembly 330 andthe controller 340 and the door transformation process.

In yet another embodiment illustrated schematically in FIG. 17A, thedata connector 332 in the upper door 170 may be operably coupled to theuser interface 180, and the data connector 334 in the lower door 172 maybe operably coupled to the controller 340 such that alignment of theupper and lower doors 170, 172 physically aligns the data connectors332, 334 in the upper and lower doors 170, 172 and establishescommunication between the user interface 180 and the controller 340 and,conversely, misalignment between the upper and lower doors 170, 172physically misaligns the data connectors 332, 334 in the upper and lowerdoors 170, 172 and prevents communication between the user interface 180and the controller 340. The alignment of the upper and lower doors 170,172 could be detected whether the upper and lower doors 170, 172 areboth in opened or closed positions, and the controller 340 could referto the lower door positional sensors 64 to determine whether the alignedupper and lower doors 170, 172 are opened or closed, if necessary.

The data communication over the communication link between the userinterface 180 and the controller 340 through the data connectors 332,334 may occur in any direction. For example, the data communication maybe uni-directional, wherein the communication is from the user interface180 to the controller 340 or vice-versa from the controller 340 to theuser interface 180. As another option, the data communication may bebi-directional between the user interface 180 and the controller 340.

Still referring to FIG. 17A, the data connectors 332, 334 may be anysuitable type of connector capable of carrying, transmitting, orreceiving data communications. For example, the data connectors 332, 334may be optical connectors, such as fiber optics. In such an example, theuser interface 180 and the controller 340 may be equipped with anillumination transmitter 370 and an illumination receiver 372. Foruni-directional communication, each of the user interface 180 and thecontroller 340 may be equipped with one of the illumination transmitter370 and the illumination receiver 372. Both of the user interface 180and the controller 340 may have both of the illumination transmitter 370and the illumination receiver 372 for bi-directional communication, asshown in FIG. 17A. As mentioned above, the controller 340 may be locatedin the chassis 12, wherein the fiber optics or other form of the dataconnector 334 may be configured for communication from the door 14 tothe chassis 12, or the controller 340 may be located in the lower door172, as illustrated by example in FIG. 17A.

In addition to establishing data communication between the userinterface 180 and the controller 340, the data connectors 332, 334 mayalso function as electrical connectors for establishing an electricalpath between the controller 340 and the user interface 180. In thismanner, the communication link is also a power link whereby power isprovided to the user interface 180. Electricity may travel from thecontroller 340 to the user interface 180 across the connectors 332, 334in the same manner as described above for data communication. When thedata connectors 332, 334 also serve as electrical connectors, they maybe any suitable type of connector capable of carrying, transmitting, orreceiving data communications and electricity, such as, for example,connectors forming an inductive coupling and the above opticalconnector. The data connector 332 may further be in communication with aconverter (not shown) that converts the transmitted signal intoelectricity, if needed, for supplying power to the user interface 180.Further, the establishment of the electrical path may serve as a doorsensor in a manner similar to that described above for establishment ofthe data communication; the establishment of the electrical path mayform the door sensor to determine when the upper and lower doors 170,172 are closed and/or aligned.

In the example provided in FIG. 17A, the data connectors 332, 334communicate over the gap between the upper and lower doors 170, 172 witha non-wired link, such as the optical communication link. As anotherexample, the link may be formed by a physical coupling of the connectors332, 334, which is illustrated in the schematic view of FIG. 17B. Theconnectors 332, 334 may be configured such that they are uncoupled whenthe upper door 170 is not aligned with the lower door 172 andautomatically couple or physically mate when the upper and lower doors170, 172 are aligned, such as when the upper and lower doors 170, 172are both closed.

In another embodiment, omission of the frame 300 may allow access to thelower treatment chamber 70 without concurrent access to the uppertreatment chamber 56; the door 14 may be strengthened by other means,such as the aforementioned use of additional transformation assemblies250 and corresponding actuator assemblies 320. The user would be able toaccess the upper treatment chamber 56 alone and the lower treatmentchamber 70 alone via the respective upper and lower doors 170, 172 in adrawer mode, or both of the upper and lower treatment chambers 56, 70would be accessible simultaneously with the upper and lower doors 170,172 coupled in a door mode.

As another alternative, the upper door 170 may be adapted for pivotingmovement rather than sliding movement when in the drawer mode, whichwould enable the drawer 40, not coupled to the upper door 170, to slideforward through the door 14. In another alternative, the lower door 172rather than the upper door 170 may be adapted for use as a drawer whenthe door 14 is in the drawer mode.

FIGS. 18-20 schematically illustrate an exemplary embodiment of adishwasher 10A wherein the upper door 170A is configured for pivotingmovement relative to the lower door 172A when in a partial door mode.Elements similar to those in previous embodiments described above areidentified with the same reference numeral bearing the letter “A.”Referring to FIG. 18, the door 14A includes the upper door 170A and thelower door 172A that selectively close the respective upper and lowertreatment chambers 56A, 70A defined by the tub 16A and access theretothrough the open face of the tub 16A. The upper and lower treatmentchambers 56A, 70A may be physically separate such that the upper door170A provides access to only the upper treatment chamber 56A, and thelower door 172A provides access to only the lower treatment chamber 70A.Alternatively, the upper and lower treatment chambers 56A, 70A may be incommunication with each other to effectively form a single, commonchamber.

As seen in FIG. 19, the upper door 170A may be coupled to the lower door172A by a hinge 380 or similar connection to provide pivoting movementof the upper door 170A relative to and independently of the lower door172A. In the partial door mode, the upper door 170A may pivot open to aposition that permits movement of the utensil rack 58A relative to thetub 16A. For example, the upper door 170A may open to a position betweenabout 90 degrees and 180 degrees relative to the generally verticalposition of the upper door 170A when the upper door 170A is in theclosed position of FIG. 18 to allow movement of the utensil rack 58Ainto and out of the tub 16A. This range of pivotal movement, shown inFIG. 19, defines a lower limit of pivoting movement at position X,wherein movement less than 90 degrees would interfere with movement ofthe utensil rack 58A, and an upper limit of pivoting movement atposition Y, wherein the lower door 172A blocks further pivoting movementof the upper door 170A. The upper door 170A may be configured such thatit may or may not be coupled to the lower door 172A in the partial doormode. Regardless of whether the upper door 170A is coupled to the lowerdoor 172B in the partial door mode, the upper door 170A is configured tomove independently of the lower door 172A in the partial door mode.

Optionally, the utensil rack 58A may include a drip shield 382 extendingalong a bottom surface of the utensil rack 58A to catch any liquid orother substance that may fall from the utensil rack 58A when the utensilrack 58A is slid out from the tub 16A. The drip shield 382 may beespecially beneficial in a configuration where the upper door 170A opensto a position greater than 90 degrees from the general vertical positionsuch that liquid or other substances may otherwise drip from the utensilrack 58A onto the floor below the utensil rack 58A. The drip shield 382may extend upward along the front of the utensil rack 58A as well andmay include a handle or grip 384 graspable by a user to aid in movingthe utensil rack 58A relative to the tub 16A. Optionally, the upper door170A may be coupled to the utensil rack so that the utensil rack slidesfrom the tub 16A upon opening of the upper door 170A in the partial doormode.

Optionally, in the partial door mode, the upper door 170A may also beconfigured to be partially opened to a position less than about 90degrees relative to the generally vertical position, as shown in FIG.20. In this position, the user is able to access the inside surface ofthe upper door 170A, that is, the surface facing the tub 16A, and anycomponents mounted on the inside surface of the upper door 170A, such asa silverware basket 386 shown for exemplary purposes in FIG. 20, withouthaving to fully pivot the upper door 170A to the position between about90 degrees and 180 degrees from the generally vertical position. Anotherexemplary component that may be located on the inside surface of theupper door 170A may be a detergent dispenser or a dispenser for othertypes of treating chemistries.

When the door 14 operates in a full door mode, the upper door 170A andthe lower door 172A are coupled together to form a generally planar fulldoor, as illustrated in FIG. 21, and may pivot together about the hinge312A relative to the tub 16A to selectively close the upper and lowertreatment chambers 56A, 70A and access thereto through the open face ofthe tub 16A. In this manner, the upper door 170A and the lower door 172Afunction similarly to a traditional pivotable dishwasher door.

FIG. 22 illustrates another alternative embodiment for the door 14B ofthe dishwasher; this embodiment is similar to the door 14 from theembodiment of FIGS. 1-16 with the primary differences relating to analternative actuator assembly 320B located in the upper door 170B ratherthan the lower door 172B and an alternative transformation assembly 250Bin the upper door 170B actuated by the actuator assembly 320B. Elementssimilar to those in previous embodiments described above are identifiedwith the same reference numeral bearing the letter “B.” The followingtext describes one of the transformation assemblies 250B and one of thecorresponding actuator assemblies 320B with it being understood that aduplicate set or sets of the transformation assembly 250B and theactuator assembly 320B may be located on the opposite side of the door14B or other locations on the door 14B if desired.

Referring now to FIG. 23, which is an enlarged view of the regionidentified in FIG. 22, the transformation assembly 250B includes alocking member 256B in the form of a generally vertically oriented armterminating at its upper end at an upwardly extending locking finger262B and at its lower end at a finger 400 with a transverse pin 402. Alink 404 mounted to the upper door 170B for pivoting movement at a pivotpin 406 includes at one end a first slot 408 that receives the pin 402on the locking member 256B and at an opposite end a second slot 410 thatreceives a pin 412 of a plunger 414 extending downwardly from the link404. The locking member 256B further includes a pair of verticallyaligned key slots 272B having a circular portion 274B and an upwardlyextending linear portion 276B (FIG. 24) with a width smaller than thediameter of the circular portion 274B. As with the previous embodiment,the key slots 272B align with corresponding apertures 232B in the upperdoor rear panel 220B (FIG. 26) such that either the circular portion274B or the linear portion 276B aligns with the corresponding apertures232B when the locking member 256B slides within the upper door 170B, aswill be described in further detail below.

The locking member 256B is biased to a down position, illustrated inFIG. 23, or an up position, depicted in FIG. 24, by a biasing member 416shown by example in the form of a compression spring. The biasing member416 may be any type of part or device that retains the locking member256B in the down and/or up positions, such as a leaf spring. In thepresent embodiment, the biasing member 416 may be mounted at its ends tothe upper door 170B, such that its ends are in a fixed position, andcoupled to the locking member 256B at some point between the ends of thebiasing member 416 for vertical movement of the central portion of thebiasing member 416 with the locking member 256B.

The actuator assembly 320B in the present embodiment is located in theupper door 170B, as mentioned above, and operatively coupled to thelocking member 256B. In particular, the actuator assembly 320B may be alinear solenoid having a rod 418 coupled to the locking member 256B forcooperative movement of the locking member 256B and the rod 418.Downward movement of the rod 418 pulls the locking member 256B towardthe down position of FIG. 23, while upward movement of the rod 418pushes the locking member 256B upward toward the up position of FIG. 24.

The actuator assembly 320B can be any suitable type of actuator,examples of which are provided above with respect to the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-16, such as a mechanical actuator, such as a mechanical linkageassembly with a lead screw and motor, a pneumatic actuator, or ahydraulic actuator. Furthermore, the actuator assembly 320B can belocated at any suitable position within the door 14 that can accommodatethe size of the actuator assembly 320B. In the embodiment of FIGS. 23and 24, exemplary alternative positions for the actuator assembly 320Binclude, but are not limited to, at the upper end of the upper door 170Band at the lower end of the upper door 172B. When the actuator assembly320B is located at either of these alternative positions, the rod 418 orother movable part of the actuator assembly 320B that induces movementof the transformation assembly 250B may be coupled to the transformationassembly 250B, such as to the locking member 256B, by a couplingmechanism that transfers movement of actuator assembly 320B to thetransformation assembly 250B. In one embodiment, the rod 418 may becoupled to the locking bar 256B by a resilient link or arm, such as aspring steel link.

The transformation assembly 250B may optionally include a pair ofclosure elements 420 mounted to the upper door 170B at a closure elementsupport 422 and operatively coupled to the locking member 256B forcooperation with the key slots 272B of the locking member 256B. Shown inenlarged perspective views in FIGS. 25A and 25B, each closure element420 has a mounting fixture 424 at one end for mounting the closureelement 420 to the closure element support 422 and a generally U-shapedperipheral body 426 extending from the mounting fixture 424 and formingan elongated internal space. An elongated spring arm 428 extends fromnear the mounting fixture 424 and along the internal space formed by theperipheral body 426 and terminates at a plug 430 projecting in adirection transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spring arm 428. Thespring arm 428 is configured such that the plug 430 is biased into thecorresponding key slot 272B, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, and into thecorresponding apertures 232B on the rear panel 220B of the upper door170B, as shown in FIG. 26 and described in more detail below.

The operation of the door 14B of FIGS. 22-26 for conversion between thedrawer mode (i.e., partial door mode) and the door mode (i.e., the fulldoor mode) is generally similar to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-16in that the transformation assembly 250B couples the upper door 170B tothe drawer 40 with the utensil rack 58 and decouples the upper door 170Bfrom the lower door 172B in the drawer mode and, conversely, decouplesthe upper door 170B from the drawer 40 with the utensil rack 58 andcouples the upper door 170B to the lower door 172B in the door mode. Thedifference in the conversion operation between this and the priorembodiment relates to the actuation and operation of the transformationassembly 250B to effect the coupling and decoupling, a description ofwhich follows.

The description of the operation begins with the door 14B initially inthe drawer mode, as shown in FIG. 23, for exemplary purposes. When inthe drawer mode, the locking member 256B is held in the down position bythe biasing member 416, which is in a “smile” concave up configuration.In this position of the locking member 256B, the locking finger 262B atthe upper end of the locking member 256B is retracted into the upperdoor 170B, and the finger 400 at the lower end of the locking member256B pushes down on the link 404, which pivots about the pivot pin 406to lift the plunger 414 into the upper door 170B, thereby decoupling theupper door 170B from the lower door 172B. Further, the mounting pins 54on the drawer 40 (see FIG. 3) are received within the linear portion276B of the key slots 272B to couple the upper door 170B to the drawer40. The plugs 430 are also aligned with the liner portion 276B of thekey slots 272B, but the mounting pins 54 push the plugs 430 against thebias of the spring arm 428 out of the key slots 272B and into the upperdoor 170B.

Conversion of the door 14B from the drawer mode to the door mode occurswhen the actuator assembly 320B moves the transformation assembly 250Bupward by the rod 418 extending upward to push the locking member 256Bin the same direction. During the upward movement of the locking member256B, the force exerted by the rod 418 overcomes the biasing force ofthe biasing member 416, which moves from the position where the biasingmember 416 is concave up, through a generally horizontal centerposition, and to an over-center position where the biasing member 416assumes a “frown” concave down configuration, as shown in FIG. 24, tohold the locking member 256B in the up position. The actuator assembly320B may be in an activated condition wherein power is supplied to theactuator assembly 320B during movement of the transformation assembly250B and subsequently in a deactivated condition wherein power is nolonger supplied to the actuator assembly 320B when the transformationassembly 250B achieves the position where the biasing member 416 retainsthe locking member 256B in the up position. The force of the biasingmember 416 not only holds the locking member 256B in the up position butalso prevents the rod 418 from retracting when the actuator assembly320B is in the deactivated condition.

When the locking member 256B is in the up position in FIG. 24, thelocking finger 262B at the upper end of the locking member 256B projectsthrough the top of the upper door 170B and into the frame 300B of thelower door 172B that surrounds the upper door 170B. Additionally, thefinger 400 at the lower end of the locking member 256B pulls up on thelink 404, which pivots about the pivot pin 406 to push the plunger 414through the bottom of the upper door 170B and into a bracket 432 in thelower door 170B. The insertion of the locking finger 262B and theplunger 414 into components of the lower door 170B couples the upperdoor 170B to the lower door 172B. Furthermore, the upward movement ofthe locking member 256B decouples the upper door 170B from the drawer 40due to movement of the key slots 272B relative to the mounting pins 54on the drawer 40 (see FIG. 3) such that the mounting pins 54 arereceived within the circular portion 274B of the key slots 272B. Becausethe circular portion 274B of the key slots 272B is larger than themounting pins 54, the upper door 170B can move relative to the drawer40. When the upper door 170B pivots away from the drawer 40, themounting pins 54 vacate the key slots 272B and the apertures 232B, andthe spring arms 428 of the closure elements 420 bias the plugs 430,which are also aligned with the circular portion 274B of the key slots272B, through the key slots 272B and into the apertures 232B. The plugs430 effectively close the apertures 232B, thereby preventing foreignmatter from entering the upper door 170B through the apertures 232B.When the upper door 170B pivots toward the drawer 40 such that themounting pins 54 enter the apertures 232B and the key slots 272B, themounting pins 54 push the plugs 430 into the upper door 170B against thebias of the spring arms 428.

Conversion of the door 14B from the door mode to the drawer mode isachieved by performing the above process in the opposite direction. Theactuator assembly 320B moves the transformation assembly 250B downwardby the rod 418 retracting downward to pull the locking member 256B inthe same direction. During the downward movement of the locking member256B, the force exerted by the rod 418 overcomes the biasing force ofthe biasing member 416, which moves from the position where the biasingmember 416 is concave down, through the generally horizontal centerposition, and to the over-center position where the biasing member 416assumes the “smile” concave up configuration, as shown in FIG. 23, tohold the locking member 256B in the down position. Again, the actuatorassembly 320B may be in the activated condition wherein power issupplied to the actuator assembly 320B during movement of thetransformation assembly 250B and subsequently in the deactivatedcondition wherein power is no longer supplied to the actuator assembly320B when the transformation assembly 250B achieves the position wherethe biasing member 416 retains the locking member 256B in the downposition. The force of the biasing member 256B not only holds thelocking member 256B in the down position but also prevents the rod 418from extending when the actuator assembly 320B is in the deactivatedcondition. The down position of the locking member 256B and theresulting decoupling of the upper door 170B from the lower door 172B andthe coupling of the upper door 170B to the drawer 40 are describedabove.

Advantageously, locating the actuator assembly 320B in the upper door170B and modifying the transformation assembly 250B with the biasingmember 416 that holds the locking member 256B in up and down positionsreduces the overall amount of power required by the actuator assembly320B. The actuator assembly 320B requires power only during theconversion of the door 14B between the drawer and door modes and doesnot have to remain activated (i.e., does not require power) to maintainthe door 14B in a given mode because the biasing member 416 holds thelocking member 256B in position. It follows that the door 14B willremain in a given mode even if power to the actuator assembly 320B isinterrupted.

In order to locate the actuator assembly 320B in the upper door 170B,power must be supplied to the actuator assembly 320B. As an example,power may be provided to the actuator assembly 320B by a rechargeablepower source, such as a battery 240B. FIG. 27 provides a block diagramof the door 14B with selected electrical components, including theactuator assembly 320B, located in the upper door 170B and the lowerdoor 172B. The battery 240B may provide power to the actuator assembly320B and to other components in the upper door 170B requiring a sourceof power, including, but not limited to, a user interface 180B, a dataconnector in the form of a transceiver 436 adapted for communicationwith a data connector in the form of a transceiver 438 in the lower door172B, and an illumination source (not shown).

The battery 240B may be charged by a power charger comprising a firstinductive part 440 in the lower door 172B and second inductive part 442in the upper door 170B, which function together to form an inductivecoupling when the first and second inductive parts 440, 442 are insufficient proximity to each other, such as when the upper door 170B andthe lower door 172B are in juxtaposition. The power charging may beaccomplished with electromagnetic induction, electrostatic induction, orany suitable type of induction charging. Examples of juxtaposition ofthe upper and lower doors 170B, 172B include, but are not limited to,when the upper and lower doors 170B, 172B are coupled together for thedoor mode, when the upper and lower doors 170B, 172B are both in theclosed position, and when the upper and lower doors 170B, 172B arecoplanar, regardless of whether they are coupled to each other. Inanother example, the first and second inductive parts 440, 442 may beadjacent one another when the upper and lower doors 170B, 172B are injuxtaposition, regardless of the position of the upper and lower doors170B, 172B relative to the tub 16B. When the inductive coupling formsbetween the first and second inductive parts 440, 442, power istransferred therebetween and may be converted to DC power at 444 beforebeing supplied to a charger 446 for the battery 240B. The firstinductive part 440 may be coupled to an external power source (notshown), such as through the hardwired main power supply to thedishwasher, and may be in communication with the controller 340Bdirectly or indirectly, for example, through an expansion board 448 thatmay be located in the lower door 172B or elsewhere.

The expansion board 448 may also communicate with the transceiver 438 inthe lower door 172B for data transfer with the transceiver 436 in theupper door 170B and, ultimately, the user interface 180B and theactuator assembly 320B. The data communication may optionally bedesigned such that the transfer of data between the transceivers 436,438 occurs only when the upper and lower doors 170B, 172B are injuxtaposition or aligned with each other. The transceivers 436, 438 mayfunction to transmit data in the manners as described above with respectto FIG. 17A. Other exemplary options for data transmission methods arewireless communication methods, including radio frequency, microwave,infrared (IR) communications, Wi-Fi, and wireless telecommunications.

The use of the inductive coupling formed across adjacent doors or partsof doors to charge the battery 240B or other rechargeable power sourcemay be adapted for use in other appliances. As an example, in arefrigerator, an inductive coupling may be formed between a refrigeratordoor and a freezer door or between adjacent refrigerator doorsconfigured to close the open face of the refrigerator cabinet. Each ofthe doors may include respective inductive parts that form the inductivecoupling when the doors are in juxtaposition. Furthermore, the inductivecoupling shown in FIG. 27 may be adapted for use in other embodiments ofthe dishwasher with the transforming door 14B, including those whereinthe actuator assembly 320B is located in the lower door 172B.

Some of the embodiments described above include a detailed descriptionof the coupling of the upper door 170 to the drawer 40, particularly theinsertion of the mounting pins 54 on the drawer 40 into the apertures232 in the upper door 170. This particular system for coupling the upperdoor 170 to the drawer 40 is provided for illustrative purposes only,and it is within the scope of the invention for the coupling to beaccomplished with other systems or with modifications to the abovedescribed system, such as differing number, alignment, and locations ofthe apertures 232 and different numbers, locations, and types of themounting pins 54.

It is also within the scope of the invention to transform the door 14between the partial door/drawer mode and the full door/door mode with anactuator and a transformation assembly different than those describedabove and shown in the figures. Instead of having a linear actuatorinduce vertical movement of the transformation mechanism, the modeconversion may be accomplished with other kinds of actuators inducingvarious types of movement of other kinds of transformation assemblies.Examples of mechanical systems for coupling the upper door 170 to thelower door 172 include, but are not limited to, rotating a lever andcatch system wherein rotating the lever on one of the upper and lowerdoors 170, 172 engages and disengages the catch on the other of theupper and lower doors 170, 172, rotating a cam finger, rotating a cornerbracket, and moving a pin, such as a rack and pinion mounted pin and alaterally moving pin. The particular manner in which the transformationof the door 14 between the modes is not germane to the invention.

Further, while the illustrated embodiments show a two compartmentdishwasher with a single drawer and door, with the drawer being locatedin an upper position, or two pivotable doors, any desired number ofcompartments may be used, and the arrangement of the compartments mayvary. For example, if three compartments are desired, another drawercould be added. The second drawer could be located adjacent the firstdrawer to have two drawer compartments adjacent each other. The drawercompartments could be located at either the top or bottom of the door.Alternatively, the drawers could be spaced from each other, say one atthe top and one at the bottom, with the door compartment lying betweenthe drawer compartments. Alternatively, a single drawer could be placedin the middle of the door to form two door compartments, separated by adrawer compartment. In another embodiment, two vertically arrangeddrawers could be employed such that either drawer could be accessedindependently with its respective door in a drawer mode, or both couldbe accessed simultaneously with the door in a full door mode. In thiscase, the door could be configured with separate openings in a framethrough which the independent drawers may move when in drawer mode, orthe door could be designed without a surrounding frame such that thedrawers span the entire width of the dishwasher. Any conceivablecombination and arrangements of drawer and door compartments could beused.

In the above description, the mode of the door 14 is referred to as thedrawer/partial door mode and the door/full door mode. These terms aremeant to differentiate the modes from each other and are not intended tobe limiting. In the drawer/partial door mode, at least one part (hence,“partial”) of the door can move independently of at least one other partof the door, regardless of the total number of parts that form the door.The independently movable part of the door can optionally function aspart of a drawer, as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-16 and 22-26, or canfunction in another manner, such as a pivoting door, as in theembodiment of FIGS. 18-23 or in any other suitable manner. In thedoor/full door mode, at least two of the parts of the door are coupledtogether for cooperative movement, regardless of the total number ofparts that form the door. The term “full” does not require that allparts that form the door are coupled together, unless the door comprisesonly two parts.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection withcertain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that thisis by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of theappended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art willpermit.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dishwasher configured to execute at least oneautomatic cycle of operation for treating utensils, the dishwashercomprising: a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber with anopen face for receiving utensils for treatment; a closure elementmovable between opened and closed conditions to selectively close theopen face; a user interface non-removably mounted to the closureelement; a rechargeable power supply operably coupled to the userinterface; and a power charger remote from the closure elementselectively providing power to the rechargeable power supply.
 2. Thedishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a non-wired connectioncoupling the power charger to the rechargeable power supply.
 3. Thedishwasher of claim 2 wherein the rechargeable power supply is removablymounted to the closure element and configured to be operably coupled tothe power charger when remote from the closure element to receive powerfrom the power charger.
 4. The dishwasher of claim 3 wherein thenon-wired connection comprises an electromagnetic radiation transmittercoupled to the power charger and an electromagnetic radiation receivercoupled to the rechargeable power supply, wherein power from the powercharger may be transmitted to the rechargeable power supply byelectromagnetic radiation.
 5. The dishwasher of claim 4 wherein theelectromagnetic radiation transmitter comprises at least one of anelectromagnetic short, medium, and microwave generator.
 6. Thedishwasher of claim 3 wherein the non-wired connection comprises amagnetic field generator coupled to the power charger and a magneticfield receiver coupled to the rechargeable power supply.
 7. Thedishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a wired connection selectivelycoupling the rechargeable power supply to the power charger.
 8. Thedishwasher of claim 7 wherein the wired connection comprises a wiredport on the closure element, and the power charger comprises a wiredconnector receivable within the wired port.
 9. The dishwasher of claim 1wherein the closure element comprises at least one of a door and adrawer.
 10. The dishwasher of claim 9, further comprising a utensil rackslidably coupled to the tub, and the closure element comprises a doorhaving a first part hingedly mounted to the dishwasher for pivotalmovement relative to the open face, and a second part selectivelycoupled to one of the first part and the utensil rack, wherein the dooris operable in one of a door mode, where the second part is connected tothe first part and the second part pivotally moves with the first partto selectively open and close the open face, and a drawer mode, wherethe second part is coupled to the utensil rack and second part can bepulled or pushed to slidably move the utensil rack.
 11. The dishwasherof claim 10, further comprising a controller operably coupled to theuser interface, wherein the user interface is provided with the secondpart of the door, and the controller is not provided with the secondpart of the door.
 12. The dishwasher of claim 11 wherein the controlleris provided with the first part of the door.
 13. The dishwasher of claim11 wherein the controller is not provided with the first part of thedoor.
 14. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable powersupply comprises at least one battery.
 15. A household appliancecomprising: a cabinet having an open face; a first door movable relativeto the cabinet to provide selective access to at least a first portionof the open face; a second door movable relative to the cabinet toprovide selective access to at least a second portion of the open face,which is different than the first portion, and the second door having atleast one electrical component powered by a battery; and a power chargerhaving a first inductive part mounted to the first door and operativelycoupled to an external power source and a second inductive part mountedto the second door and operatively coupled to the battery such that whenthe first and second doors are in juxtaposition, the first and secondinductive parts form an inductive coupling to charge the battery withelectricity from the external power source.
 16. The household applianceof claim 15 wherein the inductive parts are adjacent to each other whenthe first and second doors are in juxtaposition.
 17. The householdappliance of claim 15 wherein the first door and the second door arecoplanar when they are in juxtaposition.
 18. The household appliance ofclaim 15 wherein the first door and the second door are in juxtapositionat least when both of the first door and the second door are positionedto close the respective first and second portions of the open face. 19.The household appliance of claim 15 wherein the first door is configuredto be selectively coupled to the second door, and the first and seconddoors are in juxtaposition when they are coupled together.
 20. Thehousehold appliance of claim 19 wherein the household appliance is adishwasher wherein the cabinet forms a tub having an open face anddefining a treating chamber for receiving utensils to be treated, thefirst door is hingedly mounted to the dishwasher for pivotal movementrelative to the tub open face, and the second door is configured to becoupled to the first door in a full door mode, wherein the first andsecond doors pivot together relative to the tub to selectively open andclose the first and second portions of the tub open face, and configuredto move independently of the first door in a partial door mode, whereinthe second door moves relative to the first door to selectively open andclose the second portion of the tub open face.
 21. The householdappliance of claim 20, further comprising a utensil rack slidablycoupled to the tub for slidable movement relative to the tub, whereinthe second door is coupled to the utensil rack in the partial door modesuch that the second door can be pulled or pushed to slidably move theutensil rack.
 22. The household appliance of claim 20 wherein the atleast one electrical component comprises an actuator mounted in thesecond door and configured to convert the first and second doors betweenthe full door mode and the partial door mode.
 23. The householdappliance of claim 15 wherein the at least one electrical componentcomprises a user interface.
 24. The household appliance of claim 15wherein the power charger charges the batteries by electromagneticinduction.
 25. The household appliance of claim 15 wherein the powercharger charges the batteries by electrostatic induction.